Pareen, you were not the only one

So what if you are the thinnest in the college, so what if its your birthday, so what if you have most of the students in the college in your friend's list, what has to be done, has to be done. And you were not the only one.

Confused? Well I am talking about the birthday bash of our very good friend Pareen Lathia who was ornamented with infinite kicks on his rear side and decorated with cream (in all possible locations accessible to male friends on his body). This is the B - Ware Block style of making your birthday memorable and you certainly did walk away with a smile when you were heading to your room for a shower.

B Block - the haven for goodliness, the adobe of the Hyderabadi and Rajasthani folk, the place in the thick and thin of all action on the campus, the place where we initially didn't want to shift to and the place where we would hate to shift out of at present.

The three bungalows located at more than the outer end of the outskirts of the extended campus is where around twenty of the most weird (spell lively) people reside. What you will find here is a guitarist, cartoonist, drummer, disk jockey, event manager, cricketers, stock traders, bullies, cuties, teddies, geeks, women enchanters and a puppy which gives you company all the way each time anyone heads on the long journey to the class room.

There are several firsts when it comes to B Block. The first cricket pitch in the campus was the walkway between the two blocks with the lush green lawns forming cushions for daredevil stunts of the fielders. The first jamming sessions were organized here before they got recognized and moved on to the process of forming the college Rock Band. The first impromptu public speaking sessions were organized in the courtyard area providing hands on experience in polishing many skills along with stage fright, were among the few of the events which frequent the lives of all its residents.

B Block, though farthest from Pit Stop has now become the paradise within Flame for me and most of my friends out here. There is a gradual code developing and a process of living emerging out of this place which has started to infest the rest of the campus as well. With time, I hope, all the students on the campus would begin to appreciate and also 'live' life in the true fashion of how students ought to live away from home in the middle of nowhere.

Happy Birthday Pareen. Hope it remains a fond memory. If not, we are ready to celebrate again tonight. Same time, same place. God Bless.

Dipayan Kundu
FLAME School of Business
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education, Pune

Bridging the Gap

“There is a disconnect between information and life.”
- A man of few words, but an intellectual of the highest standards. Meet the chairman of NABARD, Dr. YSP Thorat.
He said this with reference to the structure followed by our educational system.

We all at FLAME have an inkling about the powerful individuals associated with the development and progress of our alma mater. But each time we meet someone from the esteemed circle, the urge to strive ahead becomes ever stronger.

His words struck me to ponder upon an incident just the day before in our cinema class. We were expected by our professor to analyze a film and some students insisted that he provide a structure, a basic frame of reference for the assignment.

He tried explaining that this was an experience that would help us stretch our imagination and if he were to give us boundaries, we would perhaps not give our creative best.

Dr. Thorat simply reiterated those words. Students today, are so attuned to a set pattern, style of functioning, that if we were surprised with a different form of work – we would simply not survive. This process needs to be tackled at the grass root level – in the class room – where in teachers instruct students about the A – Z of a particular problem and its solution. That would be fine in the short run, but in the long run, it would make the student dependent on some one for the solution in every walk of his life.

He gave us the example of a carpenter, when given a block of wood would shape it the way he wants. But a student as a human being, alone has the right to shape his life and his destiny. Thus, sticking to a structure, an old redundant pattern would only stagnate our evolution.

I hope FLAME as a heaven for Liberal Education, will break this pattern and facilitate the flow of creative energies in the hearts and minds of all its students.

First Trek at Flame

India won the World Cup. The euphoria reached a hilt at one point when enthusiasts demonstrated their emotions on the furniture outside pitstop! 6.30 am next morning. 23 sleepy students. Waiting at Pit Stop. Still celebrating???

Naaa! We left behind Bhaji's captaincy for something even more fun – a trek with General Mehta, our CO and inspiration for numerous initiatives at FLAME.



There were some samples of course; some were literally dragged out of bed like our Gandhiji Vickey (ahem... Dipika had to do the honours of dragging her bhaiya out!)

On the way up the hill, General Mehta shared a few precious memories of his time spent in Kashmir and the jawan's life in the Indian Army, extremely inspiring. It felt so great...an honour to be able to hear his stories and be a part of the experience.

As with all awesome things, the fun part came right at the end, while walking half way down the constructed road, some of our crazy UG girls came up with the brilliant idea of taking the 'off the beaten track' - a slope cutting almost 75 degree right down, leading us to the golf course! Now, normally, we would have taken the sane road and come down like respective (read boring people) but no, the crazy gang with our 60 year young leader went down the rubble filled slope! Slip! Tumble, scratch! Ouch! Through muck, slippery grass, and a lot more, we managed to paint our bottoms a healthy earthy shade, what with everyone sliding down with no clue as to where their feet slip next!

It wasn't exactly the most strenuous trek, neither was it tiring, yes we all came back all dirty, but with big grins all across our excited faces, and most important of all - the fun-o-meter – I rate that a 100%!

Cheers to more such adventure at FLAME!

Deepti Jhangiani

Flame School of Communication

Foundation for Liberal and Management Education

Pune, India

Credits for Images:

Deepti Jhangiani

Flame School of Communication
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education
Pune, India

http://deeptijhangiani.blogspot.com/

A poem for Opening Day

Editor's Note: We got this poem several days ago, and we sat on it for a while because of the updates coming in from the Institute. This one comes to us from Shimoli Shah, and we thought it would be a welcome break from the constant flow of info.

The Awaited Uncertainties

"As the days seem to come closer
What lies ahead? I can only wonder
Perhaps crashing waves that will take me under
A violent thunderstorm that will knock me off track
And I may not be able to get back
Or perhaps the path ahead won't be so crazy
Perhaps I'll have time to breathe, room to be lazy
Maybe I'll learn and grow as a person
Or maybe the shyness inside me will worsen
But I mustn't just give up, I might as well give it a go
Because you never know
Maybe I'll do great, maybe I'll do fine
Maybe I'll create a life I can call mine
Make new friends; learn new things
Move forward in life and spread my wings
Sure there'll be strife and there'll be strain
Sure I'll mess up, get tired and complain
But the thought of moving to that place gives me high
As the FLAME thats ignited is never going to die..!!"

Shimoli Shah
FLAME School of Business
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education, Pune

Rendezvous with a mind’s eye!

In the life full of contemplations,
Some instincts reverberate…
And some determinations you make…
Some reasons you celebrate…

One such resolution…
Like an inferno lighted in life…
An imagination so real…
And indeed a joie di vivre…

In anticipation for the awaited start
My mind constantly runs in conjectures
A dawn amidst the hills…
A haiku by a lake side…
A shoot on the court…
A lesson on business…
A hi-5 in the admin block
A sip at the pit-stop…
A stroll along the boulevard…
A swim in the pool…
A dinner under the moon…
A gossip session with mates
A ‘to-do’ list to make
A troubling deadline on the calendar
An ‘Oh-god-help-me’ night prayer…
A nostalgic deep sleep
And again a morning to start with!

Time will slip away….
And reminiscences is all that will remain
But;
A flame will always flicker
Forever in all our hearts here…

Pankti Vora
Flame School of Communication
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education, Pune

The Failures I don’t Regret

Someone said, “Wise men learn from other’s mistakes, men learn from their own and fools benefit from neither.” I would consider myself to be a part of the second category, which has a fair share of mistakes as well as lessons from each one of them.

On completing my graduate studies, I was happy with my first decision to quit Bio-technology to pursue management. However, the happy feeling soon disappeared with the fright of the stiff entrance procedures, applications, competitive examinations, etc. involved with the entry to any of the known premier management institutes.

The big question was, do I take the same path which hundreds of other students of my age were taking and most of my well wishers had advised. I decided to accept the general trend to attaining success.

My first failure came when I did not clear the NMAT examination by barely two marks. I felt bad but did not cry.

My second failure was that I started doubting my capabilities just a few days after this examination. Advice was pouring in from all directions and at one point in time I almost decided to move to US for further studies.

My third failure was when I got surrounded with a cloud of doubts and confusion for a long time even after being selected to Flame, for which I had applied during this period and successfully cleared.

My nights became sleepless and it took me some time before I decided to introspect and weigh all the options which lay ahead of me. I decided to consider about Flame first as I had already been selected and had felt an attachment when I had appeared for the examination.

I looked back at the day I appeared for FEAT and realized that the entire process was innovative in the manner that it took into consideration almost every aspect of an individual. I read more about it and realized the strong values on which the foundation of this institute is built. The list of faculty members and the advisory council perhaps could not have been more impressive and intellectual.

What was I doing sitting and meditating in my room, when I should have been excited at my selection? Why was I brooding when I should have started my preparations?

I decided that I would walk the path less trodden. A path which involved the challenge of becoming a part of an institution which though new, but had the vision to help me achieve my dreams. I decided to break away from the general trend of the world in the journey of my life.

Then, came the day when I met up with the faculty and the actual geniuses who were behind Flame. I didn’t have any more doubts after that.

I was happy that I was going to be a part of an institution, which believes in the independence of the mind to set it free to wander in search of the course that it wants to chart. I was happy that I was going to be a part of Flame where I would be hand-held at every step I take by the faculty especially at a time when it would be the first time when I stay away from the comforts of my home at Ahmedabad.

Today, when I look back at all the failures I had and also the tough times where I went through a multitude of negative emotions, I don’t regret it any more. I guess that life had to throw the best deal to me in the form of Flame. Though, Flame is yet to prove itself completely, I have already started to believe in myself. I am now confident of making a mark and standing strong on my feet after the two years which I spend in this ‘gurukul’.


Shimoli Shah
Flame School of Business
Foundation for Liberal and Management Education, Pune

Independance Day 2007

There was an unruly mob of 700 odd people in a land isolated from the main city. This was near the labor camp of the construction site of FLAME. They had gathered around the school for the children of these laborers who were learning, working on computers and getting their mid day meals for the last 6 months.

People had supposedly gathered on an announcement of the gentleman in charge that there would be a flag hoisting ceremony on the Independence Day.

The 700 odd men and women consisted of people from different regions of the country. From Rajasthan to Orissa and from Bengal to Gujarat. From Tamil Nadu to Haryana. People with little hope for a better life. They were mostly unskilled laborers, earning their daily living working in the harshest of conditions. Rain, sunshine and severe cold. They have no choice but to work.

The gentleman in charge emerged from the small shack that can hardly be called his home. Used to living the plushest of Army Quarters, here was this man romanticizing his existence even in the worst of living conditions.

Suffering from Typhoid. He refused to move to a hospital. Even his elder brothers scolding and his boss’s orders did not convince him to get hospitalized at a time when his speech was slurring and he was having fainting fits. Because he felt FLAME had to start on 9th of September 2007. He walked up , in his full Army Uniform with all the medals proudly on his chest , to the flag post, and many memories of his army days went past. The images of an Army Flag hoisting and complete protocol, totally contrasted with this ceremony.

And he spoke after the flag hoisting. And what followed was spontaneous and something very few people can even imagine. The entire incidence was completely spontaneous and extremely emotional.

The 700 men and women raised their hands and said a quiet prayer and vowed that they would get the FLAME campus up and ready by the 9th of September 2007 without any compromise and complete dedication. When the oath was taken, the General was moved and he announced that he would like to see that all their children don’t end up becoming laborers like them. He said he would want that all their children become educated and officers and in positions of honor. A frail woman stood in one corner. She was better dressed then most people in the gathering. She quietly walked up to the General and told him that she vows that she will make her son a bigger officer than him one day. The claps were loud and everyone there was almost in tears.

And then a Carpenter from Rajasthan raised his hands and took out a Rs 100 note and asked the General if he can donate half his daily earning to the School. And more followed. Workers, Engineers, Contractors all donated. At the end of the day, the school had gathered Rs 40,000 by way of donations.

Could FLAME have had better dedication than this? Could FLAME have had a better leader of men and women? Could there have been a better instance of complete passion?

Should we all in the periphery not be setting aside our personal agendas, our egos, our small frailties and do our bit for a dream we call FLAME? Think of this. I urge you all!

Parag Shah

Chairman,
Foundation for Liberal And Management Education (FLAME)
Jaideep Bungalow,
Plot No. 2,
Prathamesh Park,
S. No. 150/7,
Baner-Balewadi Road,
Pune 411 045
Tel. Nos. 66401800 & 66401801
Fax No. 66401802
MS INDIA
http://www.flame.edu.in/

Yatra

Ed's Note: When this blog started, our promise to you was to provide a platform for any and all information regarding FLAME. Now this was, as far as promises go, a fairly generic one. So when Pareen Lathia sent us this, we were fairly divided on it. Rahul thought that the "Yatra" poem/story published by FLAME was fairly relevant. I didn't think so, and a bunch of people I talked to agreed. Rahul's argument was this was what really distinguished FLAME from other institutions, and the fact that they were brave enough to publish this instead of talking about infrastructure the way other Institutions do was what initially convinced him to join FLAME. Mine was that this thing was an awful copy of previous poems, and holds no real information. This wasn't a journey anyone at FLAME went though, be it students, Faculty, or the Founders. It had nothing, really. So we laid that argument to rest and resolved to think on it further. Then it occurred to me that it wasn't really our opinions as individuals that mattered, but the collective opinion as a whole. So, we lay this out to the people now: What do you really think about "Yatra"?

On a side note, regardless of what we all think of the book, I think Pareen deserves to be applauded for taking time to actually scan all the pages of the 'Yatra' booklet and converting it into a Power Point presentation with some good animation work as well. So, thank you Pareen, on behalf of all the people who would want to download a copy of it and preserve it on their computers.

Without further ado, here are Pareen's thoughts on this, and the link to the show. It's about 14MB, for those of you on dial up or metered connections, it would take some time to download.

Friend: "What are you doing these days?
Pareen: I'm going to Pune for my MBA.

Friend: Ohh! Thats great. Which institute? Symbiosis?
Pareen: No. It's called FLAME.

Friend: FLAMES? ...
Pareen: FLAME

Friend: OK! FLAME. But never heard of it before.
Pareen: Yaa...it's a new institute. We'll be the first batch.

Friend: Why? You did not get admission anywhere else?
Pareen: No! Actually...

Friend: How much do they charge? Fees and all?
Pareen: Actually, its a bit high...11 lakhs

Friend: What? Does this include the donation? Man! Why don't you try abroad then?
Pareen: Ohh! No...this is a good institute...faculty and all...

Friend: Do they guarantee placements?
Pareen: Ahh yes! The people behind this institute are big shots in the market dude! They will surely get good contacts!

Friend: And you know what, our President is the ex-Dean of IIM-A. And we have 110 acres of campus. We also have cottage apartments…and soccer field, golf course, cricket ground, open-air café, and we are getting Tablet PCs and just have a look at our menu…

Friend: Now this seems to be something. But still, 11 lakhs it a bit expensive.

I have had this experience every time I meet or even talk to any of my friends, relatives or even acquaintances. These are the times when, just for the sake of saving my face, I list all the "marketable" reasons for my joining FLAME.

But, there is one reason, which I consider more important than all the above put together, which I do not usually tell. That reason is FLAME's philosophy, the concept of Liberal Education, and the spirit with which people behind FLAME are working.

I hesitate to explain this to most of the people - just because they come with a different mindset. Also because I doubt my capabilities to explain these concepts and their importance.

So I decided to tell them a story. Yes, the same story that put some "Gyan" into my head and made me realize the true spirit of FLAME. The story that, I believe, would surely provide all the answers for the questions they asked.

People know what we tell them. And by telling them that FLAME is great just because of its faculty or infrastructure will limit FLAME's identity to that. But finally I won't have to create "a wrong image" of FLAME. I would be able to portray the FLAME that I am going into. And most probably I won't ever be able to explain what FLAME really is in a manner better than what this book does.

So I made the book called "Yatra" into a PowerPoint presentation – a presentation which will not only portray FLAME as it is, but also will serve as an answer to most of the questions. And not only can I show it to all my friends who want to know "What is FLAME?", but also keep it with myself for a lifetime. "

Pareen Lathia
Flame School of Business
Foundation of Liberal and Management Education, Pune


Here's the link for downloading the above file: http://www.devshard.net/yatra.pps

Credits for 'Yatra':

Concept: Subrata Bhowmick and Parag Shah
Sketches: Architect Rajeev Kathpalia
Photography: Parag Shah
Text: Abhay Joshi
Design: Subrata Bhowmick and Payal Nanavati
Published By: Foundation for Liberal and Management Education, Pune, India
Printed At: Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd. Hyderabad, India

My Admission Story

I've always found other people's experiences and thoughts to be more interesting than a prospectus or a lecture by some jaded college official. Not that anyone in FLAME is jaded in any way, but as a general figure of speech. Those of you that actually do know me or have read anything I've written know that I'm blunt to the point of insanity. This is going to be a completely honest story. I'm going to take all of you through the exact mental process I went through while joining FLAME. A lot of it might not be nice, and a lot of it might make you think that FLAME isn't that great of a place. Just remember one thing as you read this though. I'm going to FLAME, and I haven't regretted this decision in the slightest.

I first heard about FLAME from my Uncle, Dr. Ravi Paturi. I wasn't interested at all, in the beginning. I wanted to go to Manipal and do my Engineering in Computer Science. My Uncle, in all fairness, did try to convince me and my Dad. He showed us a booklet that FLAME published known as 'Yatra'. I'm sure many of you who are joining in the same year as I am have seen it. I thought that thing was a joke. It was pathetic, since it didn't tell you anything about the Institute or the teachers, or even what it was. It was a weird poetic verse about a bunch of guys who got lost, and then dreamed about building an Institute. Oh, and I also got a CD with a bunch of architectural drawings. Compare that with Manipal, it's history, and it's renowned reputation. Not a match, right? That's what I figured, and threw the packet away. I didn't even think about it again. Sure, my Uncle did come over and discussed it with my Dad, but I never really paid attention.

I think I started to change my mind about Manipal, and Engineering as a whole, in February, one month before my exams. I had lots of time on my hands, so I began looking into it. Manipal's illustrious history seemed a little odd to me at that time. Studying exactly what was given, writing exams, and then forgetting about it really didn't appeal to me. Nor did the rather horrid selection of extra-curricular activities. So I started looking for alternatives. The best thing that I found at that time, was to take a gap year and apply somewhere abroad. Then exams started, and my time to contemplate was severely limited.

As exams went on, I saw all my friends obsessing over colleges and streams. None of them actually cared about what they would go onto to do, but more about what college they got into and what kind of a name it had. They were all content with getting into a software company, and then living an ordinary, happy life. I never wanted something like that. Between them, their choices, and the limiting choices in India I pretty much decided to take a gap year right there, or get into a program at Manipal and then go into a different profession altogether. Perhaps Biomedical Engineering, and then Medical School in the U.S.A.

Then my Uncle took me to the Group Discussion and Interview for the second test. It was at a hotel called Taj Mahal. The place looked nice, but it had awful food. Mind you, that was partially my mistake. Never go into a restaurant famed for it's South Indian dishes and order North Indian food. It never comes out good. I met some of the kids going to FLAME, and they were pretty interesting. Then I met Professor Himanshu, and General Mehta. That's when FLAME started to look like a place of interest to me. I came home, looked up the FLAME website and ran a Google Search on FLAME. The most interesting hit I got was for Rashmi Bansal's blog. For those of you that don't know, Rashmi is the Editor for a popular college magazine called JAM. It features stuff like campus surveys, fests going on, exams, issues in colleges, etc. Pretty good read. She wrote about FLAME, and it got me even more interested. Here's the link, if any of you haven't seen it yet:

http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2007/05/flame-foundation-for-liberal-and.html

So, as I was saying, I explored the website for a while. Looked up the curriculum, the Five Universes, and then went to faculty. That was what really surprised me. What I saw wasn't a group of your run-in-the-mill professors who join a starting institute for the hell of it. These were established people with good jobs and standing in Education. So I looked them up, one by one, and I was impressed even more with everything I saw. Still, the lure of being able to have a degree from a place like Manipal, and applying for my M.D/P.H.D program in a place like NYU seemed worth four years of torture. I still wasn't convinced about FLAME.

Then my Uncle wanted me to take the admission test. I don't know about you guys, but I thought the first part of it was a little silly, especially the verbal section and that kid with the weird brain. The concept was different, and new, but wasn't quite thought out. The Admission Test is mistakenly called a Two-Part test. It's actually three parts. The first one is Multiple choice test, with the verbal and math sections. The second part is the writing sample. The first one was to talk about how to make India a better place. Generic, and fun to write. I didn't have enough time to finish mine. I didn't even form a well written conclusion. I just tried to close it off in the best manner possible in the five minutes that I had. It was awful, trust me. Then they had us looking at pictures and writing a story about them in three minutes. I thought that was weird, mainly because the first few pictures were all about children. Also, three minutes isn't enough time to analyze, depict, and write. You can draw a picture in three minutes, but you can't write in three minutes.

Then came my group discussion and interview. Let me tell you one thing about Interviews. It's awkward enough talking to a stranger about stuff that matters to you, especially when said stranger is there to judge you. It become even more awkward when your very own Uncle, Professor Nagaraj Paturi, is on the panel that listens to you and judges you. When I walked into that room, and saw my Uncle there, the first thought that went through my head was "CRAP!". I honestly didn't know how to react. How would anyone react? Do you talk to your Uncle at an Interview for college? Ask him how your younger cousins are, tell him about your Dad, etc? More importantly I didn't know if Professor Veena Yadav, the other person on the panel, knew about my Uncle. So I made the best decision I could, and pretty much ignored my Uncle throughout the entire thing. I responded to his questions as I would to someone I didn't know. More on the GD though. The topic they picked for us was 'Are we becoming too dependent on Technology?". I thought it was an awful topic. Lucky for me though, they made two mistakes before the Group Discussion.

The first was that they didn't get to know us before selecting the topic. The second was that they gave us a decent amount of time to get to know each other. So as soon as it started, I went first. That gave me an opening to steer the topic away from something as silly as "OMFG TECHNOLOGU NUUU!!!!", to something like "How is Technology affecting the Indian Economy today?". We had a great discussion on that, with the exception of two people. We were a group of six, by the way.

During my Interview, I had a chance to talk to Professor Veena Yadav, who impressed me as much as Professor Himanshu did. These were people who were interesting, and I had so much I could learn from them. Not only in terms of their respective subjects and areas, but beyond the classroom. That was pretty much what sealed the deal for me. Great professors, great curriculum, and a diverse and interesting student body. What more could a person ask for, with the exception of Unlimited coke and a Pizza Hut and Dominos on campus?

So, I got accepted, and am now joining FLAME.